Lydia Elliott

Biography

Dr. Lydia Elliott has been an Assistant Professor in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program since 2008. She was the Program Director from 2008 to 2013 and resumed this role in July 2020. She received her MS(N)/FNP from Western Carolina University. She went on to obtain a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2011. Her doctoral project focused on improving the outpatient management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. She is nationally certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Memberships include the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, North Carolina Nurses Association, and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.<br><br>Prior to becoming a family nurse practitioner, Dr. Elliott had 20 years of experience as a registered nurse in various acute care settings including cardiovascular intensive care, cardiac step-down, inpatient psychiatry, oncology, and pulmonary medicine. Her experience as a family nurse practitioner has included pain management, integrative medicine, inpatient psychiatry, and family medicine where she maintains her clinical practice.<br>She has participated in medical mission work in Santa Barbara, Honduras and has served as the President and Regional Liaison Person for the North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) Mountain Nurse Practitioner Group. She has provided podium presentations for regional nurse practitioner conferences.<br><br>Her students have nominated her on several occasions for Faculty of the Year award describing her as having an infectious laugh, a calming presence in the classroom, knowledgeable, and having a genuine interest in their success. She has co-authored various articles with her students and colleagues.<br><br>When she’s not working, you can find Dr. Elliott gardening among her flowers and taking in the beauty of the surrounding mountains. She also enjoys ballroom dancing, oil painting, hiking in national forests locally and across the US, and traveling with her daughter.

Education

• MSN, Western Carolina University, Family Nurse Practitioner
• BSN, Florida International University

Teaching Interests

Health assessment, pediatrics, diagnostics, behavioral health, and integrative medicine.

Research Interests

Spirituality, behavioral health, diabetes, pain management, women's health issues, and integrative medicine.